The Odisha government has approved a 10 GW ingot–wafer and 5 GW solar cell manufacturing project with a proposed investment of Rs 100 billion, marking a major step in building the state’s upstream solar manufacturing capabilities.

The decision comes just two days after the Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chandrababu Naidu, cleared a greenfield 10 GW ingot and wafer manufacturing facility in the state with an investment of Rs 66.75 billion by Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd..

The Odisha cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved the project on Friday. The facility will be developed in two phases and will be the first-of-its-kind upstream solar manufacturing unit in Odisha, with a combined capacity of 10 GW ingot–wafer and 5 GW solar cell production.

The project will be set up at the Tata SEZ, Gopalpur and is expected to generate more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, including high-skill employment opportunities. Officials said the facility will strengthen the state’s solar value chain, reduce reliance on imported critical components and support India’s ambition of achieving 100 GW of domestic solar module manufacturing capacity by 2030.

According to the Odisha Ground-Mounted Solar Potential Assessment 2024 by the National Institute of Solar Energy, the state has an estimated solar power potential of 138 GW, underscoring its suitability for large-scale solar manufacturing and deployment.